The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has launched a new national campaign to encourage conversation about the sexual abuse of children in an effort to end public stigma associated with the abuse.
In a statement, the AFP said its Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) was leading the Stop the Stigma initiative which was developed in partnership with Australian of the Year Grace Tame, the Daniel Morcombe Foundation, Carly Ryan Foundation, Bravehearts, YourTown (Kid’s helpline) and Act for Kids.
“Stop the Stigma is the first national project designed to help end public stigma about child abuse,” the AFP said.
“It is also designed to send a strong signal to victims and the community that this vitally important issue has to be a two-way conversation,” it said.
“If victims are brave enough to speak up, as a community we need to be brave enough to listen and act.”
The AFP said ACCCE research found that 21 per cent of parents and carers believed child sexual abuse was too confronting to think about and more than one in 10 parents would be too embarrassed to talk about it if their child was exploited.
Assistant Commissioner for Northern Command at the AFP, Lesa Gale said that as part of the campaign, Uber riders would be provided with links to Stop the Stigma resources through the app.
Assistant Commissioner Gale said receiving support from the community would help law enforcement identify perpetrators and remove victims from harm.
“We must open the discussion about child sexual abuse so we can reduce the stigma and build awareness about a heinous crime that is far too prevalent,” Assistant Commissioner Gale said.
“We have to remember that some victims are still not survivors because they are still in reach of their perpetrators,” she said.
Assistant Commissioner Gale said reducing the stigma of child sexual abuse through conversation would make victims more likely to seek help and make it harder for perpetrators to hide.
“The most important thing that the community can do is to start the conversation and listen when someone comes to you for help and support,” she said.
The AFP said ACCCE received about 60 reports of child exploitation every day and logged more than 22,000 reports in the 2020-21 financial year.
It said Kids Helpline recorded a 40 per cent surge in reports of child sexual abuse in the first six months of this year compared with the same period last year.
The AFP said everybody could help Stop the Stigma with just four steps: Getting educated on child safety; knowing where to go for support; understanding how to report abuse; and being ready to listen, and believe.
Further information on the initiative, including access to support, stories from survivors and how to report abuse, is available at this PS News link.
